JEAN CERRA

Nike Lifetime Achievement
FORMER Dean & Director of Athletics, Barry University and Associate Athletic Director, University of missouri

Jean Cerra is a native Floridian, born and raised in Tampa, FL. Her education includes a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri, an M.A. from the University of Iowa, and a B.S. from Florida State University. In 2008 Jean retired from Barry University in Miami Shores, FL where she served for 17 years as the first Dean of the newly created School of Human Performance & Leisure Sciences (HPLS) and Director of Athletics (until Dec.’97). She quickly advanced to other positions as Associate V.P. and Vice Provost for Enrollment and Academic Services.

At the time of her retirement, HPLS boasted over 300 undergraduate majors and more than 100 graduate students. During her tenure, student-athletes (S-As) participating in 12 NCAA D-II sports set numerous school records for academic performance and graduation rates and brought home 6 national championships in 3 sports. She proved that you can build a nationally competitive athletics program around academic excellence when over 60% of the S-As and 10 of 12 teams consistently attained GPAs of 3.0 or better. The Buccaneers also placed 3rd nationally and #1 among the D-II private institutions in the 1997-98 NCAA D-II/NACDA Director’s Cup standings. This #1 finish was repeated in 2001-02. In May 2000, Barry University made athletic history when it became the only NCAA institution among all three divisions to have a second S-A named as a Walter Byers Post-Graduate Scholarship Award recipient.

Her accomplishments continued outside of academia when Dr. Cerra completed a brief but successful stint in private business as President of a corporation that opened eight “TCBY” YOGURT stores in the Ft. Lauderdale metro area from 1985-88. She and her partners were recognized by the parent company in 1988 as one of the Top 10 franchisees in the U.S.

Before TCBY and Barry U., Jean Cerra was at the University of Missouri-Columbia for 9 years, initially hired as Assist. A.D./Director of Women’s Athletics in 1976 when the men’s and women’s programs were merged. In 1979 she was promoted to Assoc. A.D. for Internal Operations after convincing the A.D. to implement a gender-neutral administrative structure that would eliminate positions specifically designated for women or men. This made her one of the first women in the late 1970’s and prior to the transition from AIAW to NCAA in the early 80’s to assume oversight for both men’s and women’s sports. It also quickly became the model that most athletics programs began implementing shortly thereafter.

Her impact nationally on advancing women in sport began in the 1970’s and 80’s as part of the struggle to implement Title IX on campuses and to create opportunities for women within the NCAA, which prior to 1980 and 1981 was only offering championships for men. Dr. Cerra and 10 other female colleagues bravely pursued the unpopular position at the time of approaching the NCAA with the goal of offering women’s championships – a stance that pitted them against the majority of other Directors of Women’s Athletics in the country. As a result of their undaunted and relentless efforts, female athletes across the nation enjoy the benefits of participation in NCAA championships and full athletic scholarships as we know them today. The vision of these 11 women continues to be felt in present times, especially their work as “Founders” of the Council of Collegiate Athletics Administrators (CCWAA) in 1979, which is now Women Leaders in College Sports.

Jean has been distinguished with numerous awards, honors, and Hall of Fame recognitions during her lifetime.

JEANNE LENTI PONSETTO

Nike Lifetime Achievement
FORMER Director of Athletics, DePaul University

Following an illustrious 42-year career at DePaul University, Director of Athletics, Jean Lenti Ponsetto retired as one of the nation’s most widely respected leaders in intercollegiate athletics and a driving force behind the unprecedented expansion and development of DePaul’s athletics program. She began her athletic career as an assistant women’s basketball coach and head softball coach after having been a four-sport student- athlete participating in basketball, tennis, softball and volleyball. She transitioned into athletics administration in 1982 and, after years of working through the ranks, was promoted to Director of Athletics in 2002.

During Jean’s tenure, 14 of the 15 Blue Demon programs have represented the school in 57 NCAA team championships as either conference champions or at-large selections along with 154 NCAA individual championships appearances, – including 17 straight NCAA appearances by the women’s basketball program and two trips to the Women’s College World Series for the softball program.

Among Jean’s many strategic priorities, student-athlete academic success and career planning ranked chief among them. Under her leadership, the Blue Demons garnered 80 NCAA APR Awards, 34 Academic All Americans, and led the Big East in team Academic Excellence Awards and Scholar Athletes of the Year.

She was responsible for fundraising and overseeing the design and development of nine athletic facilities projects for DePaul Athletics. Prior to Jean’s retirement, she collaborated with University leadership, trustees and donors to put in motion the design and renovation of the Sullivan Athletic Center for men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball.

Jean also served the intercollegiate athletics community with a combined 62 years of service including multiple years simultaneously on more than one NCAA Committee and/or affiliate organization highlighted by leadership roles, including Vice Chair of the NCAA Council and notably as Chairperson of the NCAA Championships Cabinet, the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Committee, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee and Collegiate Women’s Sports Award. Due to her basketball expertise, she also served on numerous NCAA committees. Most immediate to her retirement, she served on the NACDA Board of Directors as 1st Vice President and was President Elect (2021). As well, Jean is a past President (2006) and board member of Women Leaders in College Sports.

Jean has earned several awards for her outstanding work at DePaul and for leadership serving the NCAA members and student-athletes including two NACDA Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year Awards (2009, 2016), Women Leaders in College Sports Administrator of the Year Award (1998, 2003), NACDA Builders Award, WBCA Administrator of the Year Award (1998, 2017) and the WBCA President’s Award (2017) for her innumerable contributions to the sport on a national level.

Jean is a member of the DePaul Athletic Hall of Fame, the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame and the National Italian American Hall of Fame and the National Association of Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame. Her work within the Chicago sports scene has been duly noted, Jean was named one of the top 100 most influential women in Chicago by the Chicago Sun-Times. In 2023 Jean was awarded NACDA IAAA ADA Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award and the Collegiate Women Sports Award’s Dr. Judie Holland Legacy Award for her tenure in preserving the oldest awards program for the nations most outstanding collegiate women athletes.

CATHIE SCHWEITZER

Nike Lifetime Achievement
FORMER Director of Athletics, Springfield College

Cathie Ann Schweitzer was Springfield College's first ever female director of athletics, taking over in 2000 after serving as associate athletic director for the previous four years. Under Cathie’s direction, Springfield captured 59 conference championships, had 24 individual national champions, and eight team national champions. Thanks to the on-field success, Springfield College finished in the top 25 of the Learfield Directors Cup five times during her tenure, including an institution-best 13th place during the 1999-2000 campaign. She instilled a commitment to giving back to the community as Springfield College Athletics continually received the Jostens/National Association Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) Community Service Award. Another highlight of Cathie’s tenure was the launch of the Friends of Springfield College Athletics as the chief fundraising vehicle for the department.

Cathie has also been a highly respected candidate for committee-work on the national and regional level. She was elected chairperson of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Northeast Regional Committee in 2002. In 2005-06, Cathie culminated her commitment to that committee as the national chairperson. Springfield College also hosted the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National Championship (Final Four) at SC’s Blake Arena on March 17-18, 2006. SC then hosted that same tournament again on March 16-17, 2007. Springfield College also hosted the inaugural NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball National Championship in 2012. Cathie received high praise from many quarters for how Springfield College conducted those championships.

Cathie has been very involved in many facility-related improvements during her tenure. The most prominent changes include the construction of two side-by-side turf fields, the resurfacing of Stagg Field, new press boxes for baseball, soccer, and softball, new tennis complex, and the construction of the Wellness and Recreation Complex, which includes a Field House and wellness center complete with a new athletic weight room, locker rooms, restrooms, concessions, and the athletic training/exercise science facilities.

For her efforts, she earned multiple national honors, including NACWAA Division III Administrator of Year, NACDA AstroTurf Northeast Division III Athletic Director of the Year, and ECAC Female Administrator of the Year. She was also an inductee into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020 and an inductee into the NACDA Honors Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Schweitzer served as President of the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators as well as serving on the Board of Directors for NACWAA from 2012-16.

Born and raised in Akron, OH, Cathie holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education/health from the University of Akron, where she was a three-year basketball student-athlete, a master’s in physical education from Bowling Green State University, and a Ph. D. with a specialization in athletic administration from the University of Iowa. Before coming to Springfield College, she held teaching, coaching and sports administration positions at Albion (MI) College, Iowa, Grinnell (IA) College, Oklahoma, and Bowling Green. 

DEE TODD

Nike Lifetime Achievement
FORMER Retired assistant commissioner, Atlantic Coast Conference

In 1995, Dee Todd became the first woman of color to serve as NACWAA (National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators) president. Dee’s time as president saw growth in membership, increased sponsorship, a national search for a full-time executive director, and a “strengthened voice among the ranks of other national associations”

During her presidency, Dee lead by her words “We can make our dreams and those of the women who paved the way before us, a reality. WE are Women in Athletics, WE are survivors, WE should strive to share our experiences with each other. WE must instill the need for hard work, honestly and determination

DeLores “Dee” Todd is a woman of many firsts in her career as a trailblazer. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Winston-Salem State University and a master’s degree from Governors State University, Dee worked as a teacher and track and field coach at the high school level. Nine years later, Dee was named the first full-time track and field and cross-country coach at Northwestern University, marking the first woman of color head coach in the history of the university. Three years later, she was named Big 10 Cross Country Coach of the Year. Dee became the head track and field and cross-country coach at Georgia Tech in 1985, again etching history as the first ACC African American head coach. Two years later, she was named the ACC Track Coach of the Year.

In 1980, Dee became the first African American female to appear on a box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. On March 7, 2018, Dee was featured again on National Cereal Day.

Dee chaired the United States Olympic Committee, Minorities in Sports Task Force, and was the co-founder of the Project Gold leadership class. Many members of the Project Gold classes are successful athletic, political, and community leaders today.

In 1988, Dee became the first female and the first minority to serve as the assistant commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. For 12 years, Dee oversaw the growth of women’s basketball and several other sports in the ACC. In 1994, Dee and her SEC counterpart, Pat Wall, led the nation to drive three-person officiating for women’s basketball. She was also the first female to serve on the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee. After 17 years at a conference office, Dee became North Carolina A&T State University’s first female athletic director After 50 plus years in the industry, Dee remains active through her retirement with intercollegiate athletics, Speaker on domestic violence and sexual assault prevention, and coaching boys and girls at the high school level. She also serves as a NCAA Baseball Site Rep for Regionals and Super Regionals.

Born in Washington DC (Feb 29) and raised in Camden, NJ Dee is currently living close to her family in Raleigh, NC Her son Stuart and his wife Charmion are the parents of her only grandchildren Mia (14) and Michael Todd (10) who are the joys of her life!